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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bound — obliged
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cold — not warm
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bound — certain
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com